KR101512793B1 - Plasma generating apparatus and method of plasma processing of substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plasma generating apparatus capable of inducing a stable glow discharge and capable of stably generating a high density plasma even at atmospheric pressure by suppressing the phenomenon that the plasma is transferred to the arc, A plurality of capillary portions disposed on the first electrode and spaced apart from the first electrode, the capillary portions being formed on a surface facing the first electrode and defining a cavity therebetween; And a second electrode comprising a porous conductive layer on the first electrode.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a plasma generating apparatus and a plasma processing method,

The present invention relates to a plasma generating apparatus, and more particularly, to a plasma generating electrode and a substrate processing method using the same.

Generally, plasma is divided into high-temperature and low-temperature plasma depending on the temperature, which is a near-neutrally gaseous state in which ions or electrons are rarely present in a neutral ionizing gas through which electrons pass, that is, The reactivity is very strong. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Plasma-based substrate processing techniques have been widely used in various industrial fields, such as semiconductor devices, solar cells, and displays.

For example, low-temperature plasma can be used to synthesize various materials or materials such as metals, semiconductors, polymers, nylons, plastics, paper, fibers, and ozone, or to change surface properties to improve bonding strength and improve various characteristics including dyeing and printing ability. And thin film synthesis of semiconductors, metals and ceramics, cleaning and so on.

However, since the low-temperature plasma is usually generated in a low-pressure vacuum container, an expensive apparatus for vacuum maintenance is required, which is used to treat a large-sized object to be treated. To overcome this, there is an effort to generate plasma near atmospheric pressure. However, in the apparatus for generating plasma near atmospheric pressure, a phenomenon occurs in which the plasma is transferred to the arc, and the atmospheric plasma can not be precisely and selectively generated. Therefore, when the deposition and / or etching process is performed on the object to be processed, There is a problem that it is difficult to carry out the treatment when the size of the processed product is large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a high density plasma generator which can be used in the vicinity of atmospheric pressure and a plasma processing method of a substrate using the apparatus. However, these problems are exemplary and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel, comprising: a first electrode for placing a substrate; and a body disposed on the first electrode so as to be spaced apart from the first electrode and defining a cavity therebetween, A second electrode comprising a plurality of capillary portions and a porous conductive layer on a bottom portion of the cavity.

The porous conductive layer may comprise a plurality of micropores interconnected to allow for the ingress of gas into the cavity.

The size of the fine pores may be ASTM No. 5 to 400.

The body of the plurality of capillary portions may be an insulator.

The insulator may include at least any one of alumina (Al ₂ O _3), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si ₃ N _4), quartz (SiO _2), magnesium oxide (MgO) and Teflon (PTFE) .

The body of the plurality of capillary portions may be a conductor, and the second electrode may further include an insulating layer that shields the side and top portions of the body.

And a flow path portion (flow path portion) disposed on the porous conductive layer so that a discharge gas is supplied into the cavity through the porous conductive layer.

And a dielectric interposed between the first electrode and the substrate.

The first electrode may be a plate-shaped electrode, and the second electrode may be a plate-shaped electrode facing the first electrode.

The porous conductive layer may include at least one of a conductive metal, an alloy, a conductive ceramic, a conductive carbon body, and a conductive polymer.

The cavities may be regularly arranged at regular intervals.

The cavity may have a width of 100 to 10 mm and an aspect ratio of 1 to 200.

And a chamber in which the first electrode and the second electrode are placed,

The chamber may include a supply port for the discharge gas and a discharge port for the discharge gas.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a capillary tube comprising a first electrode and a plurality of capillaries spaced on the first electrode and including a body formed on a surface facing the first electrode and defining a cavity therebetween, Preparing a plasma generating device comprising a substrate and a second electrode comprising a porous conductive layer on the bottom of the cavity; Placing a substrate on the first electrode, flowing a discharge gas through the porous conductive layer into the cavity of the plurality of capillary portions, and forming a bottom portion of the cavity of the plurality of capillary portions And generating a plasma between the substrates on the first electrode.

According to an embodiment of the present invention as described above, a stable glow discharge can be induced, and a phenomenon that the plasma is transferred to the arc can be suppressed, so that a high density plasma can be stably generated near atmospheric pressure. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a plasma generating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a plasma generating apparatus 101 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a plasma generating apparatus 106 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, Is provided to fully inform the user. Also, for convenience of explanation, the components may be exaggerated or reduced in size.

In the following embodiments, the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis are not limited to three axes on the orthogonal coordinate system, and can be interpreted in a broad sense including the three axes. For example, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis may be orthogonal to each other, but may refer to different directions that are not orthogonal to each other.

Also, relative terms such as "top" or "above" and "under" or "under" may be used to describe the relationship of certain elements to other elements as illustrated in the figures. Relative terms may be understood to include different orientations of the structure in addition to those depicted in the drawings. For example, if the top and bottom of the structure are inverted in the figures, the elements depicted as being on the top surface of the other elements are oriented on the bottom surface of the other elements. The term "topsheet " as used herein, therefore, may encompass both" bottom "and" top "orientations depending on the particular orientation of the figures.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a plasma generating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plasma generating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber 110 for defining a reaction space, and includes a first electrode 120, a first electrode 120, A substrate 130 is arranged on the substrate 130 by a predetermined distance d and is formed on a surface facing the first electrode 120 to define a cavity 141 therebetween A plurality of capillary portions 143 including a body 142 including a body 142 and a second electrode including a porous conductive layer 145 and a discharge gas passage portion 170 on the bottom portion 141a of the cavity 141 140).

(Not shown) electrically connected to the supply port 160, the discharge port 165, and the first and second electrodes 120 and 140 to generate the atmospheric pressure plasma 150. The power supply unit (not shown) may be a DC or AC power supply, and may supply an AC power having a frequency band ranging from 50 Hz to 10 GHz, for example.

A supply port 160 for introducing the discharge gas into the chamber 110 is disposed at one side of the chamber 110 and a discharge port 165 for discharging the discharge gas in the chamber to the outside can be disposed at the other side. The shape of the chamber 110 is illustratively shown and does not limit the scope of this embodiment. For example, the chamber 110 may be provided in a polygonal shape as shown in Fig. 1, or may be provided in a circular or dome shape.

The supply port 160 is connected to a discharge gas supply device (not shown), and a gas flow meter for regulating the flow rate may be connected between the supply port 160 and the discharge gas supply device. Alternatively, the outlet 165 may be connected to a pump (not shown) to facilitate discharge of the discharge gas or other air in the chamber 110. However, when the chamber 110 operates at atmospheric pressure, such a pump may be omitted. The shape and arrangement of the supply valve 160 and the discharge port 165 can be appropriately adjusted and do not limit the scope of this embodiment.

In the chamber 110, a first electrode 120 for mounting the substrate 130 is disposed. The first electrode 120 may be in the form of a plate, and may include a heater for heating the substrate 130. For example, the plate-shaped lower electrode 120 may be provided as a hot plate with a built-in heater. A substrate 130 may be placed on the first electrode and a dielectric 122 may be interposed between the substrate 130 and the first electrode 120. The substrate 130 may be variously provided. For example, the substrate 130 may be provided as a semiconductor wafer such as silicon for the production of semiconductor devices, or may be provided as a glass substrate or a plastic substrate for the production of display devices or solar cells.

The stage may further include a stage (not shown) on which the first electrode 120 may be mounted. The stage may move the first electrode 120 in the ± y axis direction, The substrate 130 may also be subjected to an atmospheric plasma 150 process. Further, since it can move in the + z direction, it is possible to appropriately adjust the distance d between the substrate 130 and the second electrode 140 to induce a breakdown phenomenon necessary for atmospheric pressure plasma generation. As another example, the first electrode 120 may be fixed, and the second electrode 140 may be moved in the ± y axis direction.

And a second electrode 140 disposed on the substrate 130 at a predetermined distance d. The second electrode 140 may be disposed opposite to the first electrode 120 and may include a plurality of capillary portions 143 including a body 142 defining a cavity 141, And a porous conductive layer 145 on the bottom surface 141a of the cavity. The bottom surface 141a of the cavity may correspond to a portion of one surface of the porous conductive layer 145 opposite the bottom surface 141a and the body 142 may be composed of various insulating materials. For example, at least one of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), quartz (SiO ₂ ), magnesium oxide (MgO) and Teflon have.

The cavity 141 is defined by one body 142 and another body 142 spaced apart therefrom and has a space defined by a bottom surface 141a and a side surface 141b, May have a trench shape, and may be referred to as a capillary cavity. The specific shape of the space is illustrated by way of example and does not limit the scope of this embodiment. For example, the space defined by the bottom surface portion 141a and the side surface portion 141b may be an elongated capillary shape. As another example, the cross-sectional surface parallel to the cavity bottom surface 141a may have a circular, oval or polygonal shape May be a concave pattern.

The capillary cavities 141 defined by the body can be regularly arranged at regular intervals. The width w of the cavity bottom face 141a may be a predetermined distance, for example, 100 to 10 mm, and the aspect ratios of the plurality of capillary portions may have a value between 1 and 200. The aspect ratio of the plurality of capillary portions shows the ratio of the height of the side portion 141b to the width of the bottom portion 141a.

The porous conductive layer 145 is formed so that the discharge gas introduced sequentially through the discharge gas supply port 160 and the discharge gas passage portion 170 can be supplied directly into the cavity 141 through the porous conductive layer 145. [ 145 may include a plurality of micropores (not shown) connected from the one surface of the cavity opposite the bottom surface 141a to the bottom surface 141a of the cavity. The one surface opposite to the bottom surface 141a of the cavity referred to herein is the surface of the porous conductive layer 145 exposed to the discharge gas passage portion 170. [ The size of the plurality of micropores may correspond to the ASTM No. 5 to 400 size. Further, the porous conductive layer 145 may be composed of various conductive materials. For example, at least one of a conductive metal, an alloy, a conductive ceramic, a conductive carbon body, and a conductive polymer.

According to this structure, since the portions other than the bottom portion 141a of the cavity are blocked by the insulating body 142, the generation of the atmospheric pressure plasma 150 by the potential concentration includes the capillary portions 143 And may be generated in a form of being radiated from the second electrode 140. That is, when an electric field is applied to the second electrode 140, the electric field is concentrated on the bottom portion 141a of the cavity, so that the intensity of the electric field is increased and a capillary discharge effect can be obtained.

The porous conductive layer 145 includes a plurality of micropores connected from the bottom surface 141a of the cavity to one surface of the porous conductive layer 145 opposite to the bottom surface 141a. A stable glow discharge can be induced and a high density atmospheric plasma 150 can be obtained.

2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a plasma generating apparatus 101 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the body 144 including a plurality of capillary portions is a conductive body, and an insulating layer 143 for covering the body 144 is formed on the side portions 141b and the upper surface portion 141c of the capillary portions. (146) can be further formed. The remaining components other than the body 144 and the insulating layer 146 shown in FIG. 2 are the same as those shown in FIG. 1, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

The second electrode 140 may include a porous conductive layer 145 and a body 144 formed of a conductive material. However, when the body 144 including the capillary portions is formed as a conductor, it is difficult for the potential concentration to occur from the bottom portion 141a of the cavity. Therefore, when an electric field is applied to the second electrode, An insulating layer 146 may be further formed to shield the side portions 141b and the upper surface portion 141c of the capillary portion so as to be concentrated on the portion 141a.

The insulating layer 146 may be composed of various insulating materials. For example, at least one of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), quartz (SiO ₂ ), magnesium oxide (MgO) and Teflon have.

The thickness of the insulating layer 146 may be in the range of, for example, 10 mu m to 10 mm. When the thickness of the insulating layer 146 is 10 탆 or less, a sufficient discharge effect is not obtained and an arc is easily generated. When the thickness is 10 mm or more, the discharge effect is good, but the discharge start and sustaining voltage may increase.

Since the discharge gas may flow only through the bottom portion 141a of the cavity, the body 144 does not need to include fine pores like the porous conductive layer 145 in this embodiment, , Conductive polymers, and the like. Of course, since the insulating layer surrounds the side surface 141b and the upper surface portion 141c which are the outer portions of the capillary portions 143 except the bottom surface portion 141a, the discharge gas introduced from the discharge gas supply port 160 A material such as the porous conductive layer 145 may be used to fabricate the body 144 for simplification of the manufacturing process since it is not leaked to the side surface portion 141b and the upper surface portion 141c of the capillary portion.

According to this structure, since a discharge gas is directly supplied through the porous conductive layer 145, stable glow discharge can be induced even at atmospheric pressure. Further, transition to the arc discharge can be prevented, and potential concentration can be generated only in the bottom surface portion 141a of the cavity, so that a high-density atmospheric plasma 150 can be obtained.

3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a plasma generating apparatus 106 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3, the discharge gas passage portion 171 for supplying the discharge gas from the discharge gas supply port 160 to the porous conductive layer 145 is disposed so as to directly correspond to the bottom portion 141a of the plurality of cavities And includes a plurality of fine channel portions. The discharge gas passage portion 170 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is connected to the entire one surface of the porous conductive layer 145, whereas the discharge gas passage portion 171 disclosed in FIG. And may be directly connected only to a portion of one surface of the porous conductive layer 145 corresponding to the bottom surface portion 141a of the plurality of cavities.

The second electrode 140 includes a plurality of capillary portions 143 formed on a surface facing the first electrode 120 and including a body 142 defining a cavity 141 therebetween, And a porous conductive layer 145 and a discharge gas passage portion 171 on the bottom portion 141a of the cavity 141. [

The rest of the components other than the discharge gas passage portion 171 shown in FIG. 3 are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 and will not be described here.

According to the present embodiment, the discharge gas passage unit 171 can directly supply the discharge gas from the discharge gas supply port 160 to the bottom surface 141a of the cavity, thereby generating the atmospheric pressure plasma 150 stably. Further, since the introduced discharge gas is discharged through the porous conductive layer 145 into the chamber 110 in which the substrate 130 is seated only through the bottom surface portion 141a of the cavity, the amount of the plasma can be increased , And a high-density plasma can be generated.

The plasma processing for the substrate 130 can be performed using the above-described embodiments. First, the substrate 130 may be placed on the first electrode 120. The discharge gas may be supplied into the cavities 141 of the plurality of capillary portions 143 through the porous conductive layer 145 in the chamber 110 to supply the discharge gas onto the substrate 130. Plasma can be generated between the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 140 after the discharge gas is supplied. According to the plasma generating apparatuses described above, plasma generation can be controlled, and plasma can be stably maintained near atmospheric pressure. Such a plasma can be used to deposit or etch thin films on the substrate 130.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

100, 101, 106: plasma generator 120: first electrode
122: dielectric 130: substrate
140: second electrode 141: cavity
141a: bottom part 141b: side part
141c: upper surface portion 142, 144: body
143: capillary portion 146: insulating layer
150: Atmospheric pressure plasma 160: Discharge gas supply port
165: discharge gas discharge port 170, 171: discharge gas flow path portion

Claims (14)

A first electrode for seating a substrate; And
A plurality of capillary portions disposed on the first electrode and including a body formed on a surface facing the first electrode and defining a cavity therebetween and a porous conductive layer on the bottom portion of the cavity, And a second electrode,
Wherein the plurality of capillary portions further include an electrical conductor disposed in the interior of the capillary portion in contact with the porous conductive layer and an insulating layer shielding the side and top portions of the conductor so that the conductor is not exposed,
Wherein the porous conductive layer comprises a plurality of micropores interconnected to allow inflow of a discharge gas into the cavity,
Wherein the discharge gas is introduced into the cavity through the porous conductive layer exposed between the capillary portions, and a capillary discharge is generated in the cavity. delete The method according to claim 1,
And the size of the micro pores is ASTM No 5 to 400. A plasma generator according to claim 1, delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the insulating layer comprises at least one of alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), quartz (SiO ₂ ), magnesium oxide (MgO), and Teflon Plasma generator. delete The method according to claim 1,
And a flow path portion (flow path portion) disposed on the porous conductive layer such that the discharge gas is supplied into the cavity through the porous conductive layer. The method according to claim 1,
And a dielectric interposed between the first electrode and the substrate. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first electrode is a plate-shaped electrode, and the second electrode is a plate-shaped electrode facing the first electrode. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the porous conductive layer comprises at least one of a conductive metal, an alloy, a conductive ceramic, a conductive carbon body, and a conductive polymer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the cavities are regularly arranged at regular intervals. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the width of the cavity is 100 占 퐉 to 10 mm and the aspect ratio is 1 to 200. The method according to claim 1,
And a chamber in which the first electrode and the second electrode are placed,
Wherein the chamber includes a supply port for the discharge gas and an outlet for the discharge gas. A plurality of capillary portions spaced apart from each other on the first electrode and including a body formed on a surface facing the first electrode and defining a cavity therebetween, Preparing a plasma generating device including a second electrode including a porous conductive layer on the substrate;
Placing a substrate on the first electrode;
Flowing a discharge gas through the porous conductive layer into the cavity of the plurality of capillary portions; And
Generating a plasma between a bottom surface of the cavity of the plurality of capillary portions and a substrate on the first electrode;
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the plurality of capillary portions further include an electrical conductor disposed in the interior of the capillary portion in contact with the porous conductive layer and an insulating layer shielding the side and top portions of the conductor so that the conductor is not exposed,
Wherein the porous conductive layer comprises a plurality of micropores interconnected to allow inflow of a discharge gas into the cavity,
Wherein the discharge gas is introduced into the cavity through the porous conductive layer exposed between the capillary portions and a capillary discharge is generated in the cavity.

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